Houston, we have a problem

Wednesday, August 6th: Next exit, Houston Space Center. We found our first drawback with Gladys. She cannot quickly account for the long side road/ access points to the major highway in Texas. If we are close to it, she thinks we’re on it. Therefore, getting to the Johnson Space Center in Houston really did feel like rocket science. However, there is something to be learned in all situations. For us, this was patience and the reminder not to choose technology over common sense.

Once inside the doors, we were in awe of the enormity of the kids’ play area-- Daredevil Island-- immediately in our midst. A boy was swinging from a trapeze and then fell onto a huge, air cushioned mat, kids in body harnesses bounced from bungee cords on giant trampolines, and children crawled through an enormous gerbil maze, similar to a fast food play land, but three times the size. It was total sensory overload for us and all we could do was laugh out loud. It was incredible.

The tram tour had been aborted due to weather (the weakened version of Eduardo heading inland), so we viewed internal exhibits including the history of space travel, touching a real moon rock, entering the cockpit of a space shuttle, and continuing the pursuit of stickers in the gift shop. We kept thinking how much our nephews and niece would love this place, so we bought postcards to tell them.



As we drove toward Dallas, we kept thinking about the good Mexican food that our friends Angie and Joe get down in San Antonio. So, we got some ideas from Gladys about where to go. Her “Points of Interest” function makes it very easy to search for places by category and makes hotel reservations a snap in conjunction with the cell phone. This almost makes up for her trouble on the way to the Space Center.J However, our search for Mexican food quickly became a bit of a wild goose chase. Many places that were listed on Gladys were actually changed to other restaurants once we arrived at the address, or they were simply closed. A last ditch effort landed us on the wrong side of town. A bit frustrated, but still hungry, we settled for Denny’s and pulled out the map of our proposed route. Over a club sandwich with seasoned fries and Moons Over My Hammy, we decided to drive all night until we reached Oklahoma City.